SB301 – Maryland Bill to Ease Charging at Condos & HOAs

There are a number of bills that have already been introduced in the 2017 session of the Maryland General Assembly that will affect electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Senate Bill (SB) 301 would lift restrictions against installing electric vehicle charging equipment at condominium or homeowners associations and establish requirements and procedures for owners and the governing bodies of condos or HOAs to handle a request to install EV charging equipment.

This bill is based on California Assembly Bill (AB) 2565 which gives multi-unit housing tenants the right to install a charging station at their residence as long as the tenant pays for the costs of installation, maintenance, electricity and subsequent removal upon moving. Many people in Maryland live in multi-unit housing. The issue that this bill attempts to address is important to solve to achieve the full potential of electric vehicle adoption in Maryland.
SB301 was introduced by Sen. Brian Feldman of Montgomery County. He sponsored a similar bill in 2016, SB168 which received an unfavorable report from the Judicial Matters Committee.